Journey isn't a game. It doesn't deserve to be called a game. All you fucking do is walk. Walking is not a game. It's walking. But people keep saying that doesn't matter because it's an experience. You know what? Fuck that shit. Seriously if you want an experience get off the god damned couch and go to the real world and have yourself an experience. You can even choose your own soundtrack that doesn't get so repetitive. And if the case that someone joins you on your own journey guess what? They'll do more than just sing.

That's my other issue with the game. The co-op was utterly worthless. It adds nothing to the game at all. It changes nothing at all. The co-op was promoted as changing the experience entirely. And the only thing it changed was enduring the game all by yourself to suffering with a complete stranger that you can't even complain to.

Anyway, I hate it. I really do. I think it's awful, and the entire industry needs to kill it with fire so that we never get an experience like this again.

Yeah and people also argue that a crucifix dropped into a glass of urine is art. Here's a god damned novel idea; let's shelf that whole arguement about whether games are art or not and just focus on making them playable and enjoyable instead of pretentious pieces of crap designed to make a bunch of gamers feel less guilty about their hobby.

I disagree with you buddy about most things. I think your hatred of it makes you say things which are not quite true. In fact the only thing I'm in agreement with is how immaterial and unnessecary the "multiplayer" side of it is, like I said in my brief description of it after I finished it.

Your are wrong in that it's not a game. There is a lot more to it than the walking. There is jumping, floating, sliding down hills. evading enemies, riding on moving platforms, accomplishing goals, finding things. It is a game. The levels are nicely varied both in look and also in objectives for the player and I think it packs a lot in, in its short duration. If you wanted to take a nihilistic attitude and reduce it to just "walking", keep in mind that the same thing can be said about most games. Mario: walk and jump to your goal. All FPSs: they're not games, they're just shooting. Beat em ups are just walking and punching ... maybe kicking too. So that doesn't cut it. It is a game, even if it may be one which you hate.

As Vader said, it may not be a great game, and you may feel that just because certain reviewers and players said that it is, that makes it obligatory for you to vocally hate it, which is textbook hipster behaviour like Foolz said

Anyway, it's your right to hate it if you want to waste your energy doing so. I just took issue with your polemic attitude and proclaiming that IT'S NOT A GAME and how offeneded you are that such a thing should dare call itself a game and it should die a firey death because of it. You need to chill out.

Yeah, you be hating, but in the spirit of free speech I can support your thread.

I was initially against the idea of the game, but once I heard a few people whoms tastes align with mine give it credit I got interested. Mrs. Aspro was pretty interested too once I described it to her.

Sounds like a dumbed down version of Cubivore or Tail of the Sun, which is fine with me since I loved both those games. Cubivore was a lot more of a directed experience that Tail of the Sun though, which fully embraced it's pointlessless.

As for "it's not a game", well, I'm sure a lot of things seemed like that when you first tried them. Like Dance Dance Revolution. It's basically playing SIMON with your feet (except really really fast) -- okay, forget that point.

I'd buy if I had a way to purchase things on my US PSN without a US credit card, it seems like a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours.

I really don't think I'm just mindlessly hating on the game. I played it and was genuinally unimpressed to the point where I did regret playing it. My expectations were too high and clearly out of line, but thats just what happens sometime. But allow me to defend the "not a game" comments because I stand by them

Journey lacks a few basic elements that on their own wouldn't necessarily disqualify it as a game, but taken together make it hard for me to define this as a game. Things that you find in nearly every video gmae, board game, sport, or playground game.

1. There is no risk, danger, or fear of failure. As far as I experienced there is no danger of dying or suffering set-backs in the game. The result is the only way you don't complete it is if you turn it off. The closest to any kind of penalty is if you get hit by the one enemy in the game you'll lose ribbon length which ultimately isn't really necessary anyway.

2. There is no reward for skill. Whether its points, level ups, extra abilities, or anything of the sort Journey doesn't reward players for doing well. There's no incentive to be better. I suppose you could argue the trophies are there for that but even most of them are for finding objects or playing with others rather than any display of talent.

3. There's no need for skill. There's almost nothing in the game to really challenge the player. Reflexes are never tested. Developing a strategy is never needed. No patterns are necessary to memorize. The one encounter that requires any planning to overcome is a very brief moment, and to me was nothing more than a what could have been moment. I do realize that thee game was designed to take in the journey was than emphasizing gameplay, but that's exactly why I think it fails as a game.

Anyway perhaps this slightly more constructive post explains my feelings on the game a bit better. For the record I think I would have enjoyed it if this was an animated short as opposed to an attempt at a video gmae. And on an end note I'm happy to see my ranting encouraged the main guy at ThatGameCompany to quit his job. Serves the bastard right.

Thanks for that. I understand you much better now, and I'm in agreement. It is a bit "thin" as a game, because it lacks those things you said. Fair enough. I'm still pleased to have played it (or watched it if you prefer). In fact I intend to make my girlfriend sit and watch me play it again tonight as I think she will really enjoy watching it ... but she is useless with the controller so I will have to do the walking for her.

It's funny that the guy quit, I thought it was the fastest or best selling PSN game or something. Maybe he feels things can only go down for him from now on

In fact I intend to make my girlfriend sit and watch me play it again tonight as I think she will really enjoy watching it ... but she is useless with the controller so I will have to do the walking for her.

Thanks for that. I understand you much better now, and I'm in agreement. It is a bit "thin" as a game, because it lacks those things you said. Fair enough. I'm still pleased to have played it (or watched it if you prefer). In fact I intend to make my girlfriend sit and watch me play it again tonight as I think she will really enjoy watching it ... but she is useless with the controller so I will have to do the walking for her.

It's funny that the guy quit, I thought it was the fastest or best selling PSN game or something. Maybe he feels things can only go down for him from now on

Even holding the analogue stick forwards is too much for her too manage?